“Looks Nothing Like a Superstar”- MLB Radio Host Shoots Himself in the Foot by Openly Calling Out ‘Miserable’ Mets Sensation

Hot takes are cheap, but bad ones come with price—and Mets fans are here to collect. When a player’s early-season slump becomes headline material, you know someone’s fishing for clicks more than insight. The New York Mets haven’t even hit stride, yet one radio host decided it was the perfect time to play scout, critic, and clairvoyant. Spoiler alert: it didn’t exactly go over well in Queens.

We’ve seen many radio show hosts take shots at players and stir up controversies—this is exactly one of those situations. Gregg Giannotti is a radio show host on MetCast podcast and his take on the rising sensation, Mark Vientos did not sit well with the Mets fans.

During the podcast, Giannotti said, “I’m starting to worry about Mark Vientos a little bit. He has been miserable…he looks nothing like the superstar in the making that he was last year.” He might be right, but the 2025 season has just started, and the fans think very differently from Giannotti.

Giannotti claims that Vientos isn’t playing like he did last year, and he’s right. In 2024, Vientos was batting at an average of .266 and hit 27 home runs, and had 71 RBIs in the 111 games he played. His star moment came in the NLCS game 2 against the Los Angeles Dodgers where he hit a Grand Slam off Ryan Brasier. But all that is in the past, and the start of this season has been a different story.

In the 2025 season, Vientos has played 6 games and has 24 at-bats. In this stint, he has an average of .083 with no home runs and just 1 RBI. Although the season has just started, it might offer a glimpse of what’s to come if adjustments aren’t made.

But as any seasoned fan knows, six games don’t make a season—just like one cold morning doesn’t mean winter’s back. Giannotti’s take might’ve earned clicks, but baseball isn’t won on podcasts. Vientos may be slumping, but stars aren’t forged in comfort—they’re tested in the fire. And if history is any guide, it’s usually the critics who end up watching the highlight reel with their foot in their mouth.

Mets fans rip into show host after comments about Mark Vientos

Sports talk is a dangerous game, especially when opinions come faster than facts. One MLB radio host learned that the hard way after poking the bear in Queens. When you come for a fan base starving for wins and high on October memories, you better bring more than a mic and a lukewarm take. Just ask Vientos, the target of a tirade that aged like a Mets bullpen in the ninth.

Is Vientos a young player who still needs time? Yes, but is the criticism that he is facing right now justifiable? Also yes. The season has just started and Vientos is already facing criticism. As the fan says, he might have not performed, but it is still very early in the season to judge a youngster.

We are just six games into the season, and for a youngster to start the season off like a superstar is very difficult. It’s uncommon for a 25-year-old to start off strong, but we have to show him the support he deserves. When top players like Rafael Devers are facing harsh words from the media it is common for them to go after a kid. There will always be critics ready to judge players for a rough start; with only six games played, Vientos still has 156 more to prove himself.

The media often make such statements just to grab attention, but most of the time it backfires. The media have made takes like “the Mariners are going to reach the 2023 World Series” and also said that “the Blue Jays might make it to the postseason in 2024”, they could not be more wrong. Taking advice from a radio show host’s hot take is like asking a fourth grader for stock market tips.

Many have pointed this out, but it seems Giannotti doesn’t want to listen. He is currently living in his own world where 6 games are going to tell how the season is going to go. Giannotti himself has not been having a good time for the past few years as he has been very prone to criticism and has had his share of controversies. He looks like he wants to add one more to the list and wants to have the Mets fans run behind for his comments.

This is a very common start by the Mets. Even last year, the Mets were 4-6 in the first 10 games, but they did make it to the postseason. This is the case every year with the fans, too; they start to judge the players and the team too early and start criticizing them for every move. One fan suggests that people need to relax and focus on the bigger picture.

But patience, much like pitching depth, seems in short supply these days. If six games defined a season, then spring training would count as playoffs. Vientos may be off to a cold start, but writing him off now is like judging a novel by its prologue. And as for Giannotti—maybe next time, he should wait until at least game seven before grabbing the mic and lighting the match.